About Us

Cosmic
ray research in Yerevan Physics Institute

In 1942, the famous physicists brothers Abram and Artem Alikhanian
organized a scientific expedition to Mount Aragats and started cosmic ray
detection with various particle detectors. They have found high-energy protons
and deuterons in the flux of cosmic rays and several new unstable particles
(called by them varitrons). These studies laid the foundation for the regular
study of cosmic rays and many further discoveries.

The dates of the most important advances in
the study of CR are presented below:

1944 -
Foundation of the Institute of Physics and Mathematics of the Yerevan
State University – subsequently Yerevan Physics Institute first director
Artem Alikhanian) .

1977 -
The identification of pions and protons using the transition radiation and
energy assessment by the ionization calorimeter. (Experiment "Pion"
- E. Mamidzhanyan, V. Avakian)

1997-2004
– The creation of MAKET-ANI and GAMMA detectors and measurement of the
energy spectrum of CR in the region of "knee" (1014 -
1016 eV) - (G. Hovsepian, R. Martirosov).

2000 -
Establishment on Aragats of the Space Weather Research Center.

2003 -
The discovery of intense solar modulation phenomena in October - November
in the low-energy charged particles and neutron fluxes (V.Babayan,
N.Bostanjyan, A.Chilingarian).

2004. –
Discovery of the mass-dependent position of the knee: very sharp knee in
light nuclei energy spectra at ~3*1015 and absence of “knee” in
heavy nuclei energy spectra at least till 2*1016eV
(A.Chilingarian, G.Hovsepyan, A.Vardanyan).

Currently physicists of Cosmic
rays division of YerPhI with a reequipped and renewed facilities continue research
in the field of galactic and solar cosmic rays, solar-terrestrial connections
and space weather. The world's largest center for registration of the fluxes of
elementary particles from thunderclouds, electric and geomagnetic fields,
meteorological parameters and lightning occurrences was established on the
slopes of Mount Aragats. The created experimental complex allows Armenian
physicists play a leading role in the study of high-energy atmospheric physics.